Oxenhope... a welcome rest! 30-10-2009

Pre sunrise sky... looking north west! (c) 2009


Dense fractus steaming through the col at sunrise! (c) 2009


Visibility starting to clear mid am... looking NW (c) 2009


Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Friday 30 October 2009
Counting period: 6:30-9:30
Weather: SE F5, 9degC but feeling bitter cold,200m - 3km dense st fractus from 0700-0900hr, 4/8 becoming 8/8 then 6/8, QNH 1021 falling then rising
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber


Moving Birds:
Cormorant 1 -
Fieldfare - 1
Black-headed Gull 35 -
Starling - 38
Woodpigeon 13 -
Goldfinch 2 -
alba wagtail sp. 3 -

Totals: 93 individuals, 7 species, 3:00 hours

Comments: A Welcome Rest!....After three days of what only in local terms can be called exceptionally intense "GIGA VIS" it is now our turn for a rest! Deep and dense fractus, absent initially was streaming out of Calderdale but only through the Causeway Foot col.... This put paid to any serious avian movement being observed, even if it was there. Infact the BEST spot of the morning was a Globemaster powering east at dawn with its short dark unilluminated contrail spraying out and looking just as a high thick headed skein of geese... and yes we both mistuck it for just that initially until bining, then scoping confirmed otherwise... roll on those days of clear hazeless goose and contrail filled dark blue skies of deep winter. Bird wise the vis was abysmal with nothing in prominence even as the visibility started to to improve. The thrushes have moved on as overflyers from these parts with negative vis... ready for the next "top up" now.


Afternoon Visit:
Counting period: 13:30-17:00
Weather: SSE F5, 12degC, 10km, 8/8 complex, QNH 1018 falling
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber

Moving Birds:
Fieldfare 70 -
Starling - 200

Totals: 270 individuals, 2 species, 3:30 hours

Comments: ..... A visit to check we were missing nothing after news of major bird migrations on their way. Only a single, but notably high flock of Fieldfare through (the first high flock since the mass arrival on Tuesday) at just before 1500hr West. No more thrushes seen but a single 200 strong Starling flock went low NW shortly afterwards on the migratory route. Nothing else moving in the sky at all!


Complex pm Sky (c) 2009

Dave